Another chance
by Luluvas
Summary: Lucy, built with burdens and expectations, seeks to be free. To do that, she does the one thing she never thought she'll do (modern AU) Lucy Ashley is 6 years older than Lucy.


_Sometimes, I'll feel trapped in a cage._

_One that chokes me from the inside out._

_I'm trying to bear it, but it's too much._

_Can somebody please find me? I'm dying in silence._

Lucy walked aimlessly on the sidewalk. She's gotten into a fight with her father again which led to her storming out. After her rage had cooled, she walked around aimlessly, following any direction that she came across. She remembered the words of her father clearly.

_"I schooled you, fed you, catered for you for so many years all for you to give me this!"_

_"After all I've done, I expected better of you."_

She remembered looking down at the marble floor, her head bowed down in shame as though she was silently saying _Sorry_.

_I'm sorry I'm not good enough._

_I'm sorry I'm disappointing you_

_I'm sorry I didn't try hard enough_

_I'm sorry for being distracted_

_I'm sorry I didn't meet your expectations _

She was sorry for that and more. But sadly, Jude didn't notice. He kept on ranting at her. Telling her of everything he'd done. The clothes he'd made. The shoes bought. The phone he gave to her. The amount of money he uses to buy her every single reading material she's ever owned. The freaking amount of money he pays to the man who drives her every day.

_"All you needed to do was one thing. ONE THING! And I wouldn't bother you ever again..."_

Oh but he would. He definitely would. She knew this was just the beginning. First this, then a bigger thing, and a bigger thing, and it would just be an increase in expectations.

She remembered when she was young, with bright chestnut eyes that shone and short golden blonde hair. She used to watch older people so often and were fascinated with how they were-bright, taller and smarter, able to help her reach the things to high up and carry her up. They were like giants. And it thrilled her to no end that one day, she was going to be like them.

Now here she is. Her golden blonde hair is now ash blonde, the colour dulled out of lack of care. Here she was. An 'adult' and nothing seemed easier. In fact, everything seemed harder and harder.

She heard her ringtone and a buzz from her pants. She removed her phone and checked it to see that it was her mother calling. Would she help her?

She answered the call with a '_Beep_' and before she could say "Mom" she was interrupted with a barrage of shouting.

"What is wrong with you! Don't you know everything that we've done for your sake, that your father and I have done?! Why would you go this way?! You should go back and apologize to your father right now. It's for your own good. Why don't you-"

_Beep._ And with that she ended the call. She couldn't even explain herself without getting shouted at. She was sick of being treated like this.

She looked at her phone. The exquisite phone that Jude gave to her

"_Do you know how much I worked to get that phone of yours?"_

With an exquisite price...

"_I spent over 15000 jewels to buy that phone!"_

It was literally the best in the market

"_I always give you the best things, and here you go being an ungrateful, spoiled brat!"_

The grip on the phone tightened.

Soon it was smashed on the floor of the sidewalk, her sneakers coming into contact with it again, again and again until it was nothing but broken glass.

She was sick of forcing herself to do things she didn't want to for the sake of being 'grateful'. She was tired of following others expectstions. This time, she'll find her own path abd create her destiny. She walked away from the damaged phone.

Soon evening turned to night and the grey clouds looming over the sky receded, leaving a dark starless sky in its wake.

She came across a phone booth, it's light highlighting the narrow structure. She entered there a looked at the telephone hanging by the wall. Moving towards it, she moved her fingers to the numbers.

There were some she didn't like back then. One was her older sister, Lucy Ashley. Before she'd play with her so happily, but as she grew, she started getting in fight with her mom and dad. Storming off in defiance. Being a naive young girl she thought it was her sisters fault and being equally gullible, fell into her parents lies that Ashley was becoming a rebel and vagabond. Lucy Ashley's choice in clothing proved her parents to be right. From the frilly dresses she wore came black tank tops, spiked chokers and leather pants. Eventually with this, Lucy had a bad view of her sister. She avoided her and treated her like a stranger. She always felt uncomfortable with being near her with the opinion in mind that she was now a 'Vagabond' and no longer the sister she knew. She started acting cold and closed her mind off from her. The last straw took place when Lucy was 11 years old and there came a shouting match between Lucy Ashley and her parents. Lucy took her parents side and said some horrible things to her and the look on her face was so to speak, hurt. The next day she found out Lucy Ashley had 'run away' and there was no longer any clue of her apart from the dresses in the closet. But that day, Lucy saw a letter inside her drawer. She opened it to find a letter written to her before Ashley left.

She didn't understand what it meant back then and kept it out of her mind. But from they day Ashley left, everything went downhill. Jude and Layla got divorced. Her father started working more and coming home less. And Lucy was given one burden after another. Now, she knew what Ashley meant, but she didn't have the courage to contact her for fear that she may be resented. Now she believed, she had nothing to lose.

Dialing the number she knew by heart, she held her breath in anticipation.

It had been seven years already. She doubted that she still had the same number. What would she say? Would she even want to talk?

All thoughts left her mind as she heard a click and a familiar voice say "Hello?"

She let out the air she held. The voice was gruff and a little cracked due to the phone's signal, but she had no doubt that was her sisters voice.

She had been cut short from her thoughts as she heard the voice again it's time more impatient "Who is this?"

Her heart was caught up her throat. What should she say? She knew that if she didn't speak she would hang up soon so with caution thrown to the wind. She let out a breath and spoke with the least shaky voice she could muster "It's Lucy."

There was silence and she said the words that she had never thought to say.

"Could we meet?"

**AN: Hi, guys. **

**I'm encumbered by several problems in my home and chose to vent it to the only way I could-by writing. I am sorry it's quite short. I actually feel quite better after writing it though, it's like therapy. Please share your opinions on the story and review or send me a PM. I am considering making this a full blown story but for now, I'll leave it as a one-shot.**

**Ciao**

**Luluvas**


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